Many national parks preserve aspects of the past, and in the case of Fossil Butte National Monument, that past goes back 55 million years ago, a time when the landscape of western Wyoming was very different from the windswept plains we see today.

Earlier this month you no doubt heard that America's 15-year-olds' science scores, when compared to those of their peers in other countries, were just average. How might they be improved? Well, if your daughter or son enjoy visiting national parks, nudge them in the direction of a career as a scientist working in the parks.

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Idaho is one of the most important sites in the world regarding the fossil history of the horse. The site includes 30 complete horse fossils and portions of 200 individual horses. The area has been closed to the public until further notice after a major wildfire burned at least 75% of the park's 4,351 acres.

Though most Americans hardly ever glimpse them, wild horses are synonymous with the American West. From John Wayne Westerns to The Electric Horseman, the iconic horse gallops across our memories, wild and free. But how did they arrive in the West? And how have we coexisted with horses?